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State agencies emphasize community engagement as they expand vapor intrusion guidance
Summary
At a CalEPA-hosted workshop, DTSC and the State Water Resources Control Board stressed community engagement, tribal consultation, and plain-language communications for vapor intrusion responses, and previewed upcoming workshops and tools for outreach and data sharing.
Cheryl Prowell, a supervisory water resource control engineer at the State Water Resources Control Board, opened a CalEPA vapor intrusion workshop and laid out logistics and the session’s aims: to share statewide mandates, cleanup program status, and community perspectives on vapor intrusion and community engagement.
DTSC Director Katie Butler said community engagement and tribal consultation are among DTSC’s priorities, noting vapor intrusion is often invisible and that testing frequently requires access to homes and businesses. Butler said agencies must provide clear, timely notice and separate cleanup engagement from CEQA requirements so residents receive direct information about exposure and sampling.
Analisa Kihara, assistant deputy director in the State Water Board’s Division of Water Quality, described the board’s racial equity resolution and action plan, and said the board is integrating equity into data, outreach, and decision-making. She encouraged participants to use forthcoming workshops on conceptual site models, paths to closure and data best practices.
The workshop featured community advice from Lenny Seagull of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight, who urged regulators to help communities secure independent technical advice, to hold meetings at locally trusted venues and times, and to consider areawide remediation approaches when contamination extends beyond parcel lines.
Why it matters: speakers repeatedly stressed that vapor intrusion responses are as much about building trust and removing procedural barriers to access as they are about technical sampling. The agencies said they aim to translate technical data into plain language and to coordinate more closely with tribal and community partners.
The workshop is part of a 2026 series; organizers said materials and recordings will be posted online and announced upcoming sessions, including a March 10 workshop on conceptual site models.
